Yes this must stop in just 50 years Alaska will be just like any other place on earth the woods will be lifeless ......china has been trapping non stop. Since 1920s and in 2002 over 1000 kinds of birds,frogs,bugs,fish,and mammals all wit

how would you like this treatment? it would be very painful indeed. think about what these critters go through when trapped like this. Its one thing to use rifles for hunting because a good hunter shoots to kill. Traps are just a horrible dealth for these guys and should be outlawed. Just think if you stepped into a trap???

I sign a lot of petitions in favor of animal rights, many of them here on causes, but this is not one that I can get behind. This is essentially banning hunting, which I can not support. Many animals suffer when killed by any means of hunting, but many people feed their families by hunting in any form. And many people (2% of over 311 million is a lot of people) depend on trapping as their livelihoods as well. Would you like to employ an ex-trapper at your business? Now, banning hunting for sport...that's a petition I could sign.

That all kind of depends on where you live. Here in Alaska, hunting and trapping are still very relevant. The warmest winter hat I have is made of seal and beaver. When it's 50 below it's on my head. And so are my beaver mitts. Most people I know in bush Alaska can't afford to feed their families meat raised in CFOs (Confined Feeding Operations). If they could even get it. For us, it's moose and caribou or nothing. It would cost more to raise a chicken in the bush than it would cost you to...

That all kind of depends on where you live. Here in Alaska, hunting and trapping are still very relevant. The warmest winter hat I have is made of seal and beaver. When it's 50 below it's on my head. And so are my beaver mitts. Most people I know in bush Alaska can't afford to feed their families meat raised in CFOs (Confined Feeding Operations). If they could even get it. For us, it's moose and caribou or nothing. It would cost more to raise a chicken in the bush than it would cost you to buy it in the store. Not to mention they don't lay during the winter and their coop has to be artificially lit and heated. Tough to do when you don't electricity and heat with wood. Alaska is not Florida. If you don't like trapping, get your state to outlaw it. A one size fits all federal law doesn't fit Alaskans.

Noone is going to eat this animal, this is a baby raccoon. This was a mistake trap, or a fur only initiave. Traps are mainly in the southern states for fur. The animal is not eatable after a few hours. So traping is inhumane. Period.

What's wrong with being a fur trader? Wouldn't you say it's a smart management or resources instead of just killing it the meat? To not use all of the animal is a waste. How are we supposed to get leather for our clothing? I think being a fur trader is a good trade personally because it teaches self reliance and to not be wasteful.

Toni Caprari: obviously you have never been involved in trapping. It is similar to hunting, you have to track where the animals habitat is, where their normal 'paths' are, and set traps in locations where you feel they will travel. You cannot bait the traps in most cases, and you have to be somewhat skilled in disguising the trap (covered with surrounding vegetation) so that the animal does not see or smell the trap and walk around it. With hunting, you have to track the animal, learn where...

Toni Caprari: obviously you have never been involved in trapping. It is similar to hunting, you have to track where the animals habitat is, where their normal 'paths' are, and set traps in locations where you feel they will travel. You cannot bait the traps in most cases, and you have to be somewhat skilled in disguising the trap (covered with surrounding vegetation) so that the animal does not see or smell the trap and walk around it. With hunting, you have to track the animal, learn where it's normal paths are and then try to sneak into those areas so that you can shoot the animal while disguising your scent so that you don't scare it off. It's a management of resources as well. F&G has reporting methods in use to find how many of any particular species is being caught. I live in Idaho, and there are still a lot of trappers around.

@Sean Hanson--Its not about hunting-- which I am personally against, but where, at least, the hunter shoots to kill. It is NOT "hunting" to lay a trap for any poor creature who may be caught in it and suffer unbearably for a very long time. I don't know if you have ever had a pet dog? Would you want him caught in a trap like that? It is downright wicked to cause such suffering. And are you serious about people trapping for food? Did you know this is 2013 not 1813 !

Help put a stop to this, there is no need this day and age for this practice to go on. I would like to trap them and let them stay in it for the night or so, then see what they might think of it then. These idiots that do this are a joke they really need to get a life and find something else to do with there spare time!

Oh, grow up! Davis' and Temple's snide little remarks do nothing to solve the issues of trapping. Do I need to call you two a whaaaambulance? This is the first time I've ever looked at remarks on issues I feel strongly about. If you don't have anything positive to add, then go where you are wanted -- on pro-trapping sites.

Dennis Davis - YOUR AN ASS!! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU ? DO YOU HATE ANIMALS THAT MUCH THAT YOU DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS KIND OF TORTURE AND LONG PAINFUL DEATH??? SOMETIMES THE MORONS THAT USE THESE INHUMANE TRAPS ONLY CHECK THEM ONCE A WEEK SO WHATEVER ANIMAL HAPPENS TO GET CAUGHT IN IT STARVES OR DIES DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO GET ANY WATER. THESE DEVICES AREN'T INTENDED TO CAUSE INSTANT DEATH THEY ARE INTENDED TO TORTURE. MAYBE YOU NEED TO STICK YOUR BALLS IN ONE TO SEE HOW IT FELLS!!!

Then how would we able to eat meat? We can't talk them to death or reason with them in order to die so that we can have a cheese burger. We use violence to kill them in order to eat their flesh. It's only natural.

Lisa, have you ever eaten any kind of meat? Those steaks, porkchops, chicken breasts and drumsticks didn't grow in those little white packages you find in your local grocery store. Did you learn anything in school about how Native Americans and the first settlers of the US had to hunt to eat? Oh, and how about before the Native Americans and settlers? Let's go back to biblical times....And during any of these times, do you think that everyone looked at an animal and said 'Mr. Cow, will you...

Lisa, have you ever eaten any kind of meat? Those steaks, porkchops, chicken breasts and drumsticks didn't grow in those little white packages you find in your local grocery store. Did you learn anything in school about how Native Americans and the first settlers of the US had to hunt to eat? Oh, and how about before the Native Americans and settlers? Let's go back to biblical times....And during any of these times, do you think that everyone looked at an animal and said 'Mr. Cow, will you drop dead please so that my family can eat and so I can use your hide to keep my family warm? Um, maybe you should get back into your history books before you tell someone to shove a cheeseburger up their ass.

Wow Michelle! So wonderful to be transported back to settler times. There was I, thinking we'd developed synthetic fibres and protein substitutes. Thanks for pointing out so clearly how dependent we still are on our animals for food and clothing.

Does Lisa truly deserve your mockery for having strongly held views on vegetarianism and animal welfare? Your own viewpoint lacks credibility when held up against American Humane Society standards for the farming of animals for supplying meat to...

Wow Michelle! So wonderful to be transported back to settler times. There was I, thinking we'd developed synthetic fibres and protein substitutes. Thanks for pointing out so clearly how dependent we still are on our animals for food and clothing.

Does Lisa truly deserve your mockery for having strongly held views on vegetarianism and animal welfare? Your own viewpoint lacks credibility when held up against American Humane Society standards for the farming of animals for supplying meat to the human food chain. Assuming that your grocery store meat products are the result of trapping wild animals displays a worrying naivete,or simple ignorance. Perhaps it's just malice born of a misplaced sense of superiority?

Anyone who signs this petition should also never eat any fast food because those animals aren't exactly treated like royalty before they're slaughtered either. With chickens half the time they're housed in their own filth in cages. But this petition is flawed in its lack of clarification on the issue, to quote someone who posted earlier..
"This petition is seriously flawed. You do not mention the difference between LIVE TRAPS and LEG HOLD TRAPS. This petition if followed as written would...

Anyone who signs this petition should also never eat any fast food because those animals aren't exactly treated like royalty before they're slaughtered either. With chickens half the time they're housed in their own filth in cages. But this petition is flawed in its lack of clarification on the issue, to quote someone who posted earlier..
"This petition is seriously flawed. You do not mention the difference between LIVE TRAPS and LEG HOLD TRAPS. This petition if followed as written would eliminate the use of live trapping of wild animals that need to be caught alive and relocated. Live traps are used to catch feral cats. If ALL traps were eliminated, all sorts of uses for live traps would be illegal and thus many animals would have to be put down because they could not be legally trapped alive to be relocated. This is what happens when petitions are not thoroughly researched or the ideas really understood. This kind of petition is thus worthless because the author did not do the research and really understand that SOME traps are quite positive in their use! It is not smart to simply run out and put up a petition when you do not really know the background on the issue."

Violence isn't natural? Have you ever seen a cat eat a mouse? How about a lion eating a gazelle? They're extremely violent, and tear the carcass to pieces. Cats play with mice before they eat them, then they only eat the front half, and leave the back to rot.

Easy Logan, simple answer, we do not need to eat meat. Scientific fact that we can get all we need by paying attention to what we eat and that doesn't HAVE TO include other living, sentient beings. We eat meat now in this day in age because we enjoy the taste, even though we have abused this privilege. I am vegetarian, why don't you try it? You may be healthier for it.

Michelle Powell, I would say the same thing to you as I said to Logan Waller. Everyone has a good idea of how animals get to our plates. That is not the issue here and is in no way a good analogy and justification for trapping. I don't care if Jesus, God or the Queen of England hunts and eats meat, it doesn't make it necessary or right in today's world just because we can do it and we like the taste of animal flesh. Vegan or vegetarian is really the way of the future and what needs to...

Michelle Powell, I would say the same thing to you as I said to Logan Waller. Everyone has a good idea of how animals get to our plates. That is not the issue here and is in no way a good analogy and justification for trapping. I don't care if Jesus, God or the Queen of England hunts and eats meat, it doesn't make it necessary or right in today's world just because we can do it and we like the taste of animal flesh. Vegan or vegetarian is really the way of the future and what needs to happen on this earth for the good of all. When I say all I mean humans and animals. Read up on factory farming, effects of raising and slaughtering animals for human consumption, health effects of consuming animal based diets versus a plant based diet, etc. Then give me a truly justifiable reason for humans to continue down this road.

Read the book of Acts. Jesus had every type of animal on a sheet and the proceeded to tell Peter to kill and eat. When Peter refused three times an saying it was unclean. Jesus rebuked him saying "Who are you to call what I have created unclean."

This is so cruel and I do not know why our government does not ban this. How would human feel if they were trapped. They bleed like us, they have happiness and saddness and YES they feel pain just as much as we do. If you cannot understand that, you are not an animal lover.

Personally, if you don't live in the US, you shouldn't have any say as to what regulations US citizens have to abide by. Nothing personal, but how would you like it if I had a say in what laws you had to live by in your countries?